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December 22, 2009 | dentalproductsreport.com
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Dr. Flucke’s top 5 test drives

by Dr. John Flucke 

I love technology and one of the best things I get to do is see next generation, cutting-edge products before they hit the market. Some of the products I get to see are prototypes that may never make it to your office, while others are total game changers that can make a huge difference. The game changers are products that will either make you more productive, improve the patient experience, help you be a better doctor or a combination of those three. So with the criteria established, on with the list!

Gendex GXCB-500
The GXCB-500 is a cone beam volumetric tomography (CBVT) device. It has been on the market less than two years and has brought the ability to do 3D scans to the practices of many dentists. The GXCB-500 has a “medium” field of view, which means the scans are from the floor of the orbit to the inferior border of the mandible. This is exactly the area most dentists need to view to diagnose pathology and treatment plan difficult cases.

The device is fast, performing scans in 8.9 seconds and reconstruction of the images in 20 seconds. It also is affordable and offers a seated patient positioning system that provides proper orientation. Last but not least, the GXCB-500 is powered by i-CAT Vision software that has set the standard for several years.

Air Techniques Spectra
The Spectra is the next generation in caries detection devices. It uses a 405 nm light to incite fluorosis of caries lesions. However, it doesn’t stop there. Spectra is a caries detection system with an intraoral camera component that allows the user to take a photo of the tooth under the 405 nm light and then display the photo to the patient. The best part is that the areas of decay appear on the tooth like Doppler Radar.

The full color caries map shows the doctor and the patient where the decay is and how deep it goes. If the caries is minimal, Spectra’s images are easily duplicated at later appointments, allowing monitoring of remineralization therapy.

ProDrive Systems Air Turbines
The highspeed air turbine has remained pretty much unchanged since its invention in the 1940s. With the exception of lubrication-free bearings, the amount of innovation in air turbines has been minimal. Say hello to ProDrive. The company has hit upon a simple, but amazingly effective, design change. By replacing the round bur chuck with a triangular one and a triangular shanked bur, the ProDrive turbine increases torque and cutting efficiency. The company makes replacement turbines for KaVo, Star and Midwest (more brands are on the way), and also sells its own branded handpiece that is manufactured by Sirona.

In a side-by-side comparison in my office, identical new handpieces and identical new burs were used in crown preps. ProDrive was used on half of the prep and the stock handpiece on the other. ProDrive won hands-down on every test. I converted 10 handpieces to ProDrive in January and haven’t looked back. I haven’t had a turbine go bad, either. ProDrive is affordable and reliable. It easily is one of the current best kept secrets in dentistry.

Ultradent VALO Curing Light
A little more than a year ago, I visited Ultradent and watched the company’s engineers continually drop a prototype curing light on the ground to see how many drops it could sustain before it would stop working. The light survived more than 130 drops before it failed! This prototype eventually came to market in the spring of 2009 as the VALO.

The VALO is a very small, very low profile curing light that is capable of output approaching 2,500 mW/cm2. The device has a series of broad spectrum custom LEDs that will cure any composite and has a precisely collimated beam that allows amazing depth of cure in proximal boxes. The power and intensity of the beam are currently unmatched in the dental industry.

I received a prototype earlier this year and it rapidly became a staple in our curing regimen.

Zap Lasers Styla Diode Laser
The Styla Microlaser from Zap Lasers (now distributed by Discus Dental) is the smallest diode laser in the dental profession. This 2W soft-tissue diode laser is about the size and weight of a powered toothbrush and is controlled by a wireless foot pedal. The Styla is cordless and comes with a charging station and a spare battery.

Treatment is rendered by a single-use disposable tip that magnetically attaches to the device. It also comes with protective goggles and everything the practice needs to implement it immediately. The Styla is sleek and its appearance is not intimidating, making it ideal for use with pediatric patients or patients who are anxious. It is easy to use and allows the doctor to perform cosmetic recontouring, frenectomies, biopsies, and many other soft-tissue procedures.

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